How to carefully plan your monumental career ascent

Mountain range in the distance

Maybe it has something to do with moving up into the Sierra Nevada mountains after spending over 20 years of my Tech career in Silicon Valley. But, I keep thinking about the similarities between successfully navigating a lifetime career and climbing a mountain. As you are just getting started, from a distance, the mountain looks…

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Twitter Continues to Struggle with Growth and Engagement

Twitter user growth chart 2016

We need Twitter I know. It sometimes feels like kicking someone when they are already down. But, we can’t stop talking about the troubles with Twitter. It’s because so many of us really like Twitter and want them to figure this all out. As much as Facebook continues to be an unstoppable juggernaut, it isn’t…

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UX Talk – Designing for Love & Money – Video and Slides

Designing for Love and Money

In this UX talk at the Fluxible conference, I explored the battle between love and money as it applies to products, organizations, and even our own careers. Over the past 20 years, I have developed strategies to deal with this problem, both as an individual contributor and as an organizational leader. Regardless of where you…

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Twitter's user growth is slowing quickly

Statista Infographic Twitter user growth

Perhaps not all that surprising. I don’t think Twitter has ever been something that the average person understands. Its inclusion on television and other media has certainly raised awareness, but that hasn’t necessarily translated into real engagement. A 2009 study found that 71% of tweets are ignored, and I don’t think that has really changed.…

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You're trying too hard

Rock leaf river

The stink of desperation is a turnoff. This is just as true with startups as it is with dating. We’ve all seen it. Startups that are struggling to find customer fit and traction. But, there is a fine line between being nimble, lean, and responsive; and tossing and turning like a leaf in the wind.…

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Designing for Love and Money – Fluxible 2013

Virtuous cycle of love and money

In this talk, Larry explores the battle between love and money as it applies to products, organizations, and even our own careers. Over the past 20 years, Larry has developed strategies to deal with this problem, both as an individual contributor and as an organizational leader. Regardless of where you happen to work, or in what context, it’s an unavoidable issue that every designer must face and resolve.

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Tip for Startup Founders: It Isn't 1999

I lived through the infamous Dot-com Bubble. I was at a startup in 1998, that went through the usual ups and downs and up again. Then I founded a design consultancy (for some stability, believe it or not) and advised a number of small and medium-sized startups in Silicon Valley for several years (before eventually…

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Is Pinterest Right for Your Business?

Pinterest is one of the fastest-growing social networks in 2012. According to ComScore: in January 2012, 13.76m people worldwide visited the site and spent an average of 89 minutes there. Business Insider recently shared some interesting data tidbits about its growth, users, and their sharing behavior. But, I really like the data shared in this…

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Recap of Panel: Learn How to Sustainably Innovate or Be Left Behind

I moderated a great panel discussion on Sustainable Innovation yesterday on Focus. It was quite enlightening to hear insights from people who’ve been at larger companies like Facebook, Linkedin, eBay, and Yahoo; but have also been at smaller startups too. I raised the concept of “Compound Innovation” and wrote up some of my thoughts on…

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